Originally Posted by
BoilerUP
Capital cost of the equipment (and the liability of the equipment's contents) speaks to the high level of responsibility given to the people operating it.
That high level of responsibility is justification for "inflated compensation." Its the reason why 777 pilots are compensated more than E145 pilots.
Alternately, as my diesel mechanic father has always said, "You don't pay me for what I do - you pay me for what I know." He doesn't get paid to put air in tires and replace hydraulic hoses, he gets paid to know a given symptom means a piston ring has failed and requires a top overhaul, which can be done in the field by one man in two days without the need to remove the engine from the piece of equipment.
Piloting, among many other careers, isn't much different.
I agree, but pilot salaries on the high end are still unrealistic. The skills of a 777 captain are not ten times more valuable than those of an E145 FO. The salary gap is much wider than the range of skill sets.
Edit: I don't think this has always been the case, but technology has changed the nature of the job.